


Reverie

by Nycis



Series: New SW Canon Discord Prompts [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26682274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nycis/pseuds/Nycis
Summary: noun:a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: New SW Canon Discord Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112417
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15
Collections: New SW Canon Server Works





	Reverie

**Author's Note:**

> For the New Star Wars Canon discord server weekly prompts! I took the fluff prompt of Crechemaster Anakin and decided to turn a bit angsty because I'm just kinda evil like that.

Darth Vader waved his hand and the door in front of him blew off its hinges. Only twisted scraps of ruined metal remained where his surge of hateful energy had ripped it from its place. He ignited his red blade and walked through the entranceway, heavy footsteps and mechanical breathing echoing through the building.

Two blaster bolts were deflected with a single precise swipe. Vader heard a yell of pain from the insurgent who had dared fire them.

Another had her weapon yanked from her hands before she could react. Her noises of surprise were silenced by a swift blur of red light through her midriff.

The final armed assailant dropped their blaster to the ground, whispering pleas or prayers. Vader did not care for either.

When the flurry of action ended, two figures were left standing, facing each other in the room.

The Twi’lek spoke vehemently but still didn’t flinch as Vader approached them. “So here we are, at last. The Emperor’s lapdog and the rogue senator.”

“This was inevitable.” Vader’s booming voice echoed through the room.

They took a deep breath, steeling themself. “We gave you a good chase though.”

“Your effort was admirable, if foolish.”

“We gave the people hope.”

“Hope means nothing,” Vader’s blade swung one last time, “in the face of death.”

He stood there for a moment, extinguishing his vicious blade. Another mission complete, another voice of dissent silenced and another life snuffed out. His master would be pleased, but Vader felt nothing anymore. It was simply his reality now, he was a howling vortex of hate destroying everything he touched.

He turned to leave the room, when an almost imperceptibly noise just scratched the periphery of his auditory sensors. He almost could have imagined, he could have dismissed it as static or interference. But he didn’t.

With a small hand gesture, the bed that sat next the now deceased senator started to vibrate and, after a moment, levitated up from the ground. There was a small cowering Twi’lek child, they held a plush toy, in the shape of a Porg. 

He stared up at Vader with a fearful gaze, eyes so full of horror and disbelief, his own heart almost twinged with a guilt he couldn’t express.

  
  


_ He stared up at Anakin with an adorable grin, eyes so full of life and excitement, his own heart twinged with a softness he couldn’t express. _

_ “Please, Master Skywalker, just five more minutes?” The young Twi’lek’s missing tooth only added to his adorableness. _

_ Anakin couldn’t possibly refuse, besides it would give him time to hopefully wrange the rest of the group back into some semblance of order. “Alright, just stay here, but then we’re going.” _

_ The youngling giggled with glee and turned around to flee back to his friends who were playing in the stream behind him. Anakin always forgot how large the Jedi Temple gardens were, they seem to stretch on for hours, which would explain how he somehow managed to lose not one, or two but five different younglings in the last fifteen minutes. _

_ Giving the group playing the stream one last look and smiling to himself, Anakin took off, retracing their steps through the garden. _

_ He found the first of his lost quarries in the bamboo forest, the small Wookie was in a small clearing, spinning himself around on a particularly sturdy shoot. Anakin supposed it was only natural, Coruscant didn’t exactly have forests, let alone ones that could hold a candle to Kashyyyk’s wilds. _

_ “Gungi!” Anakin called, shaking his head fondly, “There you are! Come on, we need to get going.” _

_ The youngling replied with a playful grin but spun around the bamboo shoot one last time, landing elegantly on his feet. “Sorry, Master Skywalker.” He said sheepishly. _

_ “Just catch up with others,” he said, gesturing to the path back down to the stream, “and be ready to head back to the meditation halls.” _

_ Gungi nodded obediently and skipped off, that was one youngling found easily enough. _

_ The second errant youngling was napping, sequestered in the shade provided by an astoundingly large palm shaped leaf. The sun had been hot that day, it’s what had prompted Anakin to take the group outside in first place, that and the need to let them all blow off some steam. If he hadn’t also been so reckless and energetic as a child, he would have found it impossible to comprehend how they kept such vigour and energy in such small bodies. _

_ “Emerald?” Anakin knelt carefully beside the youngling, gently shaking her back to consciousness. _

_ The young human blearily blinked awake, eyes slowly focussing on him. “M-M-Master Skywalker? What’s going on?” _

_ “You fell asleep but it’s time to go.” _

_ “Oh.” The youngling grew more and more agitated, “I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean-” _

_ Anakin cut them off with a soft touch to the shoulder and a supportive smile, he personally knew how hard the transition out of slavery was. It had taken him years to fully understand the difference between Watto’s commands and Obi-Wan’s requests. “Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. I hope you had a good nap, why don’t you go find the others?” _

_ Emerald nodded, awkwardly fidgeting with her hands and not meeting Anakin’s eyes, but proceeded to run off, back to the others. _

_ Younglings three and four were found easily enough, the pair were duelling with twigs on a grassy verge, although they were edging dangerously close to one of Master Nu’s carefully maintained flowerbeds. Anakin would never hear the end of it if a stray foot ended up crushing a rare flower from Felucia under his watch, and Jocasta was an important ally to have in the Jedi Temple. She controlled the archives and assigned most of the more menial tasks, Anakin didn’t want to end up on their newest outreach venture, touring the schools of Coruscanti aristocrats and oligarchs. _

_ “What’s going on here?” He asked, trying to put some steel in voice. He wasn’t entirely sure he succeeded, but both the younglings, Ayo and Ilayda, quickly dropped their sticks and turned to face him. “What were you two doing?” _

_ They exchanged a shy glance before both replied simultaneously in sing song voices, “Nothing…” _

_ “Really?” Anakin put his hands on his hips and levelled what he hoped was a glare at them, “Lightsabers are dangerous weapons, only to be wielded by the responsible and the trained. Even then, violence should be a Jedi’s last resort. Do you understand?” _

_ The two younglings nodded. _

_ “Good, now get back to the others.” _

_ The fifth and final escapee was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard he looked around the gardens. Anakin was about to give up and admit defeat when he heard a door swing open behind him. Obi-Wan stepped through and he felt his heart sink. _

_ “Oh, hello Master. You’re back from your mission already?” _

_ Obi-Wan nodded at him, “And it would appear I’m here just in time to save you from yours.” The Jedi Master stepped aside, revealing a young Zabrak, shyly gripping Obi-Wan’s hand. _

_ He felt his heart lighten, “Oh thank the Force, Bob, there you are.” _

_ Anakin looked down at the small child in front of him, his heart full of relief. _

  
  


Vader looked down at the small child in front of him, his heart almost empty of compassion.

_ Almost _ .

That day seemed like an eternity ago, like it had happened to do a different man in a different universe. An age when his mistakes had resulted in a light scolding and a laugh from his master, not severed limbs and constant never ending pain. A child of a senator could be a dangerous adversary, people would respect them, maybe even enough to dare defy the Empire. A problem waiting to happen, one he was expected to take care of.

Darth Vader strode out of the room, smoke from the blaster fire and lightsaber wounds lightly billowing out in his wake. The stormtroopers outside immediately stood to attention, falling into step behind the black clad figure.

“Sir.” The local commander addressed him, “We’ll cordon off the area-”

“No. Leave it.” Vader commanded. “Let locals find the bodies. It will send a message to sympathisers about the perils of rebellion.”

It wasn’t a particularly clever or deep lie, but no one would dare contradict him. Hopefully it would lend enough time for the child to escape unnoticed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you have a nice day, remember to hydrate, eat and take your meds! If you want to come and chat I'm on tumblr over at @nycis or come join our lovely discord server I help mod. I was very _very_ tempted to make the ending a whole lot angstier, but resisted.


End file.
